Ivan Gillis

Historic New Bern, North Carolina Offers Plentiful Recreation and a Moderate Cost-of-Living

Cost of Living:  Meets the National Average

New Bern, a city of nearly 28,000 people, lies in North Carolina's historic Inner Bank region where the Neuse and Trent rivers converge.  It is about 30 miles from Pamlico Sound and the Atlantic Ocean and is the second oldest town in North Carolina.  Settled by European immigrants in the early 18^th century, New Bern served as the state capitol for a time and today has developed into a prosperous, progressive and popular community where retirees enjoy a high quality of life in a generally mild climate.  Of the population, 23% is age 45 to 64, and 18% is 65 years of age or above.

The cost-of-living in New Bern is cited as being nearly 20% lower than the national average, but the median home price ($234,000) is above the national average, leading us to conclude that the overall cost of living meets the national average.   Food, housing, health care, transportation, entertainment, repairs, clothing, etc. are each less than the U.S. average.   Housing is diverse, encompassing single family homes, town homes and condominiums, and the New Bern historic districts consist of elegantly renovated homes along with houses waiting to be revived to their original dignified condition. 

Within these old districts many buildings are given historic register status (New Bern has more than 150 designated historic structures), and such a status often generates neighborhood revitalization, which has certainly occurred in New Bern.   In the downtown historic district, listing prices can vary from about $250,000 for smaller homes to around $900,000 for stately old houses close to the river. Other historic districts contain homes, both charmingly restored and those needing rehabilitation, which are listed for less than those in the downtown district.

Nearby neighborhoods that have country club amenities such as golf and/or boating, tennis, swimming, and other include (but are not limited to) Greenbrier, Trent Woods, River Bend, Brice Creek, Fairfield Harbour, Taberna, and Carolina Pines.   Housing prices in these neighborhoods can start from the low $200,000s and will extend much higher, depending upon the local ambiance, amenities, conveniences, and home size.

More modest neighborhoods such as Village Woods, Derby Park, Colony Estates, and Forest Park feature one-story houses with attached garages (or no garage) and small yards. These homes are generally well maintained and perfect for a retired person or couple.   Listing prices of these homes start in the low $100,000s.  Some attractive mobile home parks also exist in the New Bern area. 

Retirement housing for those who need extra day-to-day living care is also widely available, and more well-known establishments include: The Courtyards at Berne Village (252.633.1779), Homeplace of New Bern (252.637.7332), Two Rivers Trent Campus (252.638.6001) and Two Rivers Neuse Campus (252.634.2560). 

Newcomers also generally appreciate the region's moderate property taxes.  New Bern and Craven County taxes total $1.08 per $100 assessed property value (New Bern $.47 and Craven County $.61). Outside city limits, some communities assess taxes, homeowner fees, and/or amenity charges in lieu of city taxes.

Regardless of whether one likes indoor or outdoor activities, the New Bern area has lots of cultural, educational, and historical attractions.  Touring the restored Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens will take one on a historical journey. With its four beautiful homes furnished with priceless 18^th century antiques and art, a variety of exquisite gardens, and lively and well-done demonstrations of period crafts, cooking and blacksmithing, a visit to Tyron is unique. The Croatan National Forest offers outdoor recreation opportunities to camp, picnic, hike, hunt, and fish. This 159,00-acre tract was a site of one of the region's battles during the Civil War.  Twenty minutes from New Bern (in Havelock, NC ) is the USMC Aviation Exhibit, which features the history of Marine Corps aviation.  One can spend some time viewing restored aircraft, scaled models, historic photographs, and Marine Corps artifacts.  For performance buffs, the New Bern Civic Theatre presents varied dramas, comedies, musicals, and other entertainment. City tours by trolley or carriage along with the Firemen's Museum, the Bank of the Arts, the New Bern Academy Museum, and the Attmore-Oliver House round out local activities for all folks.

Retail shopping abounds in New Bern.   Shoppers can find malls and centers with large department stores, grocery markets, and other retail services. While browsing historic downtown they will discover specialty shops and boutiques. Those who enjoy restaurant dining can find many establishments suited to their tastes. 

Retirement brings the proverbial leisure time, but many retirees want to stay active and involved in the community, and New Bern newcomers will be glad to know that volunteerism here is alive and well. Organizations that focus on senior services, people in need, historic preservation, literacy, animal and wildlife protection and charitable groups always need retiree help and experience. Churches are also great for finding volunteer opportunities. 

For those with the love of learning, the New Bern area is home to Craven Community College, which offers lifetime learning opportunities from computer courses to film and lecture series. Mount Olive College in New Bern is also the perfect opportunity to start a college career or further one's education toward an associate or bachelor's degree.   In addition, the Parks and Recreation Department of New Bern also makes available a wide assortment of classes, clubs and programs in which to participate.  If one is interested in paid work, opportunities for job openings exist for the most part in education, health, and social services.   As always, job availability can vary depending upon the season and employer needs.  Most importantly, retirees should know that they, as experienced, tenacious workers, are one of this nation's greatest resources.

When it comes to climate, retirees will appreciate the more than 200 (on average) sunny days per year and low snowfall of approximately three inches per year.   However, measurable precipitation falls on more than 110 days (on average) per year, and humidity can be pretty high during the hot months. At those times, the perceived comfort level can be low. Nevertheless, there is plenty of time for outdoor interests.  Besides golf and water sports, gardeners will find a wide variety of flora flourish in this environment close to the sea.  And those who love walking, biking, and playing field sports will have no trouble in finding trails and provisions for their enjoyment.  On inside days, one can frequent nearly a dozen fitness facilities, browse and buy in the area specialty and antique shops, or participate in locally provided hobby and interest programs. For readers, the Craven-Pamlico-Carteret Regional Library offers 250,000 books and several thousand audio and video materials along with over 500 subscriptions to magazine and newspapers.

Those who retire to New Bern can find extended choices in health care services, and the ratio of physicians per capita is substantially higher than the national average.   Such services include the Craven Regional Medical Center, the Craven Diagnostic Center and the Craven Outpatient Surgery Center.   Certain facility departments are devoted to emergency care, cancer care, heart health, rehabilitation, adult mental health, and home care.  The 313-bed medical center supports more than 200 physicians and staff, who represent many medical specialties. The medical, diagnostic, and outpatient surgery centers all offer a wide range of services and use state-of-the-art medical technology and equipment. Urgent care, dental, alternative healthcare, private practice, and nursing care facilities are also prevalent in the New Bern region.

Other useful services and organizations for retirees are the Area Agency on Aging (252-638-3185), the Craven County Department of Social Services (252-636-4900), the Craven County Senior Services (252-638-1790), the Craven County Veterans Service Office (252-636-6611) and the Senior Pharmacy Program (252-638-3657).

Various means of transportation exist in and around New Bern to take visitors and residents to and from regions outside the city.    However, New Bern is considered a walking/biking town, and there is no public transportation within the city. This could be a drawback to those unable to travel by foot.  The Craven Regional Airport provides passenger air service with flights daily to Charlotte, North Carolina, and Amtrak passenger railway service is available from Wilson, North Carolina, which is about 1.5 hours from New Bern.

Crime in the New Bern area is higher than the national average, and this may be considered a drawback to retirement here. On the good side, crime has dropped about 20% in the last couple of years.

This is a fairly conservative spot, with 67% of registered voters calling themselves Republican verses 37% calling themselves Democrats. 

Retirees seeking to move to New Bern, North Carolina have lots of homework to do before a migration, but in this bustling town, where Pepsi Cola was created in 1898 and novelist Nicholas Sparks currently lives, choices in real estate, shopping, medical care, and other important aspects of contemporary American life are plentiful and easy to find